A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 5540804 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25817229 epoch_slot_no: 156429 block_no: 5540627 slot_leader_id: 5083768 size: 2988 time: 2021-04-02 17:12:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31ac192a7b53218578f1427d7e78aba6d405cd248022034219c09791424addc6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r2y0cvnyp6arv7h2mymc6nepmzdjjuw3cqjs0jz8fagvcpkpwp4suxc3e0 op_cert: \x6bc83326612b0b143a33a87fce23e1ec9b52a1f4576ed1517a95f09751c812ea op_cert_counter: 1